


Who They Were

by Westwinger23



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-12-06 05:51:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11594253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Westwinger23/pseuds/Westwinger23





	Who They Were

Jed Bartlet opens the door to his hotel room. Abbey is sitting up in bed, glasses perched on the edge of her nose and a book in hand. 

“It’s late, what’re you still doing up?” Jed asks as he loosens his tie. 

Abbey glances up at him. “I could ask you the same question.”

He sighs. “I went to visit Josh at the airport.” He sits on the edge of the bed and takes off his shoes slowly. When he puts the second one on the ground, he stares at the wall in front of him, shoulders slumped. 

Finally, he breaks the silence. “He’s a good kid—Josh. Smart as a whip. In some ways a lot like me when I was younger. And talking to him tonight about his dad’s death made me realize—I’ve been to hard on him.”

Abbey shuts her book. “On all of them.”

Jed looks up. “What?”

Abbey replies calmly, “You’ve been too hard on all of them.”

Jed, “Now, listen—“

“No, you listen,” Abbey interrupts. She gives him her stern doctor (and wife) look and Jed knows better than to interrupt. She continues, “You’ve been going around here yelling and acting aloof and treating this staff like they don’t matter. That’s not you. You’re irritable and acting like they’re inconveniencing you. My god, Jed, they’ve put their lives on hold to help you get elected and you haven’t even bothered to get to know their names.” 

Jed replied half-heartedly, “That’s not entirely true.”

Abbey knowingly says, “You call C.J. ‘the tall lady’ and she’s the only female senior campaign advisor. Not to mention you constantly mix Sam and Josh up and you don’t even deign to look in Toby’s direction.”

Jed looks at her, “well you haven’t gotten to know them either.”

Abbey nods, agreeing. “You’re right. But now after winning tonight, I’m starting to realize this is the real deal. We need to do this right—be who we are and not let all of this politics and campaigning get to us.” 

“As always, my dear, you are right.” He kisses her on the mouth and slides into bed next to her. “But where to start?”

Abbey nods across the room to the coffee table in front of the couch. “Well there’s a pile of staffer folders filled with their life histories right over there. You obviously already know Leo’s. So you can start from the top and work your way down.”

Jed sighs and eases back, fluffing his pillow. “Yeah, or I could just talk to them. I feel weird reading those. It’s like prying into their lives without permission. I’ll start tomorrow. Maybe I’ll see if Sam will accompany me to a bookstore, or Toby and I could try paintballing. I feel like hitting each other with stinging bullets might be cathartic for us.” 

Abbey giggles and pats his arm. “You’re a good man, Jed Bartlet. This is why I married you.”

Abbey turns out her light and lies back next to him. She continues, “What do you think we’ll find out about each of them? What’re their stories?”

Jed thinks quietly. “Well, some of it we know. Josh is from Connecticut, a vaguely non practicing Jew, went to Harvard, Fulbright Scholar, then Yale Law School. His father worked with and was friends with Leo and Josh has had a promising career in politics working for the Minority Whip and Hoynes. Outside of that, I’d imagine an only child who was doted on by his mother and pushed to excel by his father, receiving all the finest that the east coast elite had to offer.” 

“He’s a little cocky don’t you think?—Jed I swear to god if you quote ‘boys will be boys at me, you’re sleeping on the couch.”

“No, you’re right. He’s smart and he knows it. But he doesn’t always think things through and that gets him into trouble. He thinks things are owed to him, and he’s about to find out that’s not entirely the case.” 

Abbey nods. “Sam’s from California?”

Jed replies, “Laguna Beach. Predominantly republican area.”

Abbey thinks out loud, “Wealthy parents in a stable marriage, prep school, Ivy League education, law school, good law job. But why here?” 

Jed confirms, “Yes, Princeton then Duke. And he and Josh are old friends. Plus, Sam’s too idealistic for corporate law. Hell, I already worry about that idealism in politics. It’s great for speech writing, but can burn you out quickly when you realize what you can and can’t accomplish in office.”

Abbey, “mmhmm—and he must have broken a few hearts as well. No one that sweet and attractive can’t have.”

Jed turns his head toward her, “Should I be worried?”  
Abbey laughs, “No no. If I wanted to leave you for someone and make you crazy, I’d choose Toby.”

Jed tickles her, “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

Jed sighs heavily. “All I really know is he’s from New York, Jewish, married—although heaven knows how.”

Abbey interrupts, “There’s a pot for every lid.” 

Jed nods and continues, “and according to Leo, he has never won a successful campaign.”

“Well there’s a first time for everything. Sounds like he’s due for one.” 

Jed interlaces his fingers with Abbey’s, “He’s just so dark and brooding sometimes. I don’t understand him, and I doubt I ever will. Everyone is afraid of him and no one can really get through to him. Except sometimes Leo, but that’s mainly out of respect and hierarchy. And CJ—which I really don’t get.”

Abbey looks lost in thought, “CJ is the interesting puzzle piece isn’t she? She’s a young, attractive woman who got brought onto this campaign by Toby Ziegler. She dresses well, so I’d imagine she came from money.”

Jed adds, “Much like Sam and Josh.” 

Abbey pauses, “But there’s a worldliness that she has, and a maturity beyond her years that those boys lack. I’m not sure if it’s because she’s a woman so she’s had to work harder than the men… but I don't know. Maybe there’s some hidden darkness and that’s why she and Toby get along?” 

Jed shakes his head, “CJ’s too together for some hidden darkness…And anyway, what are we? Detectives? It’s late and here we are gossiping like school girls over my staff and what their lives may have been like.”

Abbey yawns, nestling into her pillow. “You’re right. We’ll find out soon.” 

Jed, “You don’t think they do the same about us, do you?”

Abbey, half asleep replies, “Absolutely. Except they also use their files on us. So they just have to fill in the blanks.”


End file.
